Another Fish Story

 
Another Fish Story 

Red Rock Park is about half a mile from my house and I enjoy walking there along our seaside promenade. The seasons, the sea and sky, the gulls and seabirds provide a never ending source of spiritual satisfaction to my soul and I find myself rejoicing with the imagination of our Triune God who is constantly painting a canvas of Glory right before our eyes.

During the more temperate seasons, folks like to gather at the park with their fishing gear and there they sit day after day, night after night, hour after hour, visiting with each other, telling stories, catching up on the news of the day. Once and only once have I seen someone catch a fish. But what a fish it was! When the creature caught onto the line excitement immediately electrified all who were gathered there. The fisherman in question struggled against the power of the fish. The rod he held in his hand bent to such a degree that it looked like it would snap in two. He was unable to haul the catch to shore by himself so several other stout fellows were dispatched below to lend a hand and haul the fish ashore. Finally, after a long and heroic battle between man and beast the fish was subdued and they brought the creature to shore. Proudly the fisherman held the fish by his gills for all to see. That fish measured from his foot to well above his waste. 

At which point he announced; “Everybody’s coming to my house to eat tonight!” 

Can you imagine the celebration! What fun!

Can you imagine the joy in heaven when just one of us catches God and is caught by God. The scripture says; “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. ~Hebrews 10:31. And when I say “fear” I mean it in the biblical sense of awe and wonder. 

In today’s Gospel there’s not just one but a whole netful of fish; so many that when hauled aboard ship the vessel began to sink. In such a dramatic scene it’s all hands on deck. The excitement, the danger and the reward are all palpable. It was an amazing haul and one that was unforgettable to the disciples, so much so that they told the story again and again until it was written down for us in today’s Gospel. 

The story speaks to us today. Here we are on a cold February day in Haverhill several thousands of years later, thousands of miles away, reflecting on how we are caught up into God’s net. Nothing is ever the same again once we are gathered together closely into a relationship with the Triune God and to one another. 

Life itself takes on a new way of being. We relate to one another differently when we are woven together in God’s net. Because Christ forgives us we forgive one another. Because of his compassion our cup overflows toward one another with an abundant measure of generosity. And since we are reconciled to God in Jesus we are also reconciled to one another. This is the Dream of God; to live as one as if we are now the Body of Christ.

This is our life’e end; to live in the fear of the Lord by being toward each other the way God’s being is toward us. Thus we are filled with the kind of joy that redeems all our days and wipes all the tears from our faces and all our sins from our souls. All our hopes, all our fears, all our guilt are caught up into God’s net and hauled into God’s nearer presence from birth to death and well beyond. “All is well with us now and all manner of thing shall be well with us”. ~para Dame Julian of Norwich.

At a time of national crisis when King Uzziah died, Isaiah dreamed another dream of God and he “saw the Lord sitting on a throne. Seraphs were in attendance above him and one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.

You may see now what I mean when I say that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

The prophet is dumbstruck by the experience and says the only thing he can say;

“Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

The prophet regained his composure; “Here I am send me.”

This is Good News. The coal has been taken from the altar of God. Your guilt has been taken away. God sends you! 

Paul sums up the Good News even more succinctly. His words have the sound of a Creed to them;

“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day, that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am.

And whatever else you and I have done with our lives good and bad alike, each of us can say “I am what I am”. You are the one  who Jesus loves enough to stretch out his net and to haul you into God’s kingdom.

When we fall into the hands of the living God we cannot restrain ourselves. Our spirits rejoice like the Psalmist. 

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *
       before the gods I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
   and praise your Name, *
       because of your love and faithfulness;
When I called, you answered me; *
       you increased my strength within me.
Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *
       O Lord, your love endures for ever;
       

Imagine the feasting in Heaven because of you! Thanks be to God. Amen.

Fr Paul

In the Name of God; the Most Holy, Undivided and Everlasting Trinity. Amen

Below are the readings appointed for this Sunday with highlights that speak to my soul.

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

The Collect:

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.

And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

Psalm 138

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *
       before the gods I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
   and praise your Name, *
       because of your love and faithfulness;
3 For you have glorified your Name *
       and your word above all things.
4 When I called, you answered me; *
       you increased my strength within me.
5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *
       when they have heard the words of your mouth.
6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *
       that great is the glory of the Lord.
7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *
       he perceives the haughty from afar.
8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
       you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
       your right hand shall save me.
9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *
       O Lord, your love endures for ever;
       do not abandon the works of your hands.

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

Gospel: Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.